[nagdu] Matching

Wed Aug 12 17:14:56 UTC 2009

Tracy,

Around here, where the GDB labs go about from puppyhood to working guides,
they certainly do seem to fit a certain stereotype for calm and perfect
obedience from birth onward.  I call them the mellow yellow GDB labs, and
used to very frustrated that my wild black poodle pup was so often declared,
point blank, to be not guide dog material simply because she wasn't mellow
or yellow.  /grin/

That being said, they seem to be great dogs, and I know a lot of people who
have career change GDB labs as companions and absolutely rave about them.
The few I've met at working guides do seem very laid back but also
personable.  I have even seen them wriggle!  Gasp!  /grin/  I find I rather
like them, but I still prefer my busy, busy poodle.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 5:41 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Matching

Yes, despite my occasional skepticism about matching, I do think they try.
 I certainly try to tell the school everything I can think of about my
lifestyle before I come to class.  But it's an advantage to me if they
have at least 2 dogs ready to go who could fit well with me.  The more the
better, in case the first try doesn't work out.  And I can also see other
people for whom my dog would probably work just fine.

A friend of mine has a theory that GDB dogs are pretty homogenous, so it
doesn't matter a whole lot which one a person gets.  She thinks TSE dogs
are more varied, which can make matching harder, but potentially better. 
It's an interesting idea.  I've had 5 dogs from GDB though, and they all
seemed pretty different.  On the other hand, there certainly were a wide
variety of personalities among the dogs in my class at TSE, and my friend
may be right.  Maybe they use a wide spectrum, and GDB uses the middle of
the range.  Well, it's a theory still being tested.  But I think it's an
interesting one.
Tracy

> I believe that they do some matching. Some dogs, for instance, would not
> do
> well if you had a job where they had to be quieter; some really need to be
> in challenging situations to work at their best. I don't think this means
> that they always match right or that they don't make mistakes. I was
> mismatched with my dog before Fisher. I find that I get my best matches
> the
> more I say about who I am during a day. There is only so much you can say
> and so much they can do. I don't think the schools want you to think it is
> a
> "match made in heaven", and, of course, there's really nothing says
> someone
> else couldn't use your dog. I used Chuck Hallenbeck's once after I sent my
> first one back just to see if I could. But some people could not handle a
> challenging dog; others couldn't handle a really docile dogs; some dogs
> have
> too much pull and some too little; as a schgool gets to know you, I do
> think
> they are better able to match, gbut this doesn't mean they make mistakes.
> And no way do I think that the matches are faultless either.
>
> Cindy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 12:18 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] Matching
>
>
> I wondered the same as Rebecca when I read Marion's message.  More, one of
> my classmates, call her A, had a friend, B, who was not doing particularly
> well with her dog.  But A loved the dog, and got B to give the dog to her,
> and they worked happily together for years.  Go figure.
>
> This is what I think.  Some people think that their dog was specially
> selected for them, a match made in heaven, if you will.  Maybe the schools
> encourage this kind of thinking.  Maybe it helps some people bond with the
> new dog, specially selected just for them.
> And I do think it's true that some dogs couldn't work for some people.  My
> Echo, for instance, is a soft dog.  If I got annoyed, or forgot, and spoke
> too sharply to her, or corrected her too hard, she would turn to JellO and
> melt.  We'd have to stop right there for a couple minutes so she could
> regain her composure.  She could never have worked for someone with a
> loud, drill-sergeant-type handling style.  My Ben, on the other hand,
> might do great with that kind of person.  He might not be the brat he is,
> though it might also put a damper on his cheerful, cocky nature.
>
> But one dog could surely work for a variety of people.  Just some would be
> more suitable than others.
>
> There's a workshop during the TSE reunion called "The Miracle of the
> Match".  I find that title very amusing.  I'm tempted to go and heckle,
> because sometimes I strongly suspect they just throw names in a hat and
> pull them out.  Or pick the name that's cutest with the person, like
> Anchor for the ex-Navy man.  Though I must say Ben does match what I asked
> for amazingly well.  Which just shows I should be careful what I ask for!
> Not that I'd trade him for anyone else.
>
> Maybe the miracle is that the match usually works. <Grin>
>
> Just my nickel's worth.
> Tracy
>
>> Marian and list,
>> Does this mean that there is no merit to the statement that a dog and
>> person are matched?
>> If this is so, why must we as the end-users go get a dog and spend
>> several weeks at a school with it? Why can't I just go to a school, say
>> "I like that one" and then leave with that dog?
>> I am truly curious and would be interested to know people's thoughts,
>> both those who work for a school and those who do not.
>> If the dogs will work for anybody once they are taught how to guide, why
>> do theschools say "we matched x dog with y person"?
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Marion & Martin
>> Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 7:01 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach
>>
>> Dar,
>>     I cannot answer your questions, as I am not a representative of any
>> school. I am of the opinion that, if one owns their dog and for any
>> reason feels the need to transfer ownership to someone else, the school
>> should have no issue with it. If that person is blind and wishes to use
>> the dog as their guide, this, too, should be none of the school's
>> concern. These are the rights and privileges of ownership.
>>
>> Fraternally yours,
>> Marion
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "d m gina" <dmgina at samobile.net>
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 4:51 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach
>>
>>
>>> See I am not concerned about this team,
>>> I am not concerened about any of this, except asking one question.
>>> Has different matches like this happened with other schools as well?
>>> Lets say I give you the rite to have my dog if anything happens to me.
>>> You agree, and this would be coming from the school where I trained my
>> dog
>>> with.
>>> They would take my word that you are a swell handler, and they want
>> the
>>> dog to still be a team with someone.
>>> I feel this is a plus I am at not  time unhappy with anyone.
>>> My next question would be, lets say my dog had to retire, could I call
>> my
>>> school and say something like,
>>> "is there a team who has to brake up for what evere reason, and may I
>> have
>>> their dog/
>>> I am a swell dog handler as you know, what paper work do I need to
>> fill
>>> out to have this happen?
>>> I hope I explained better now.
>>> I think this is a swell idea.
>>>
>>> --
>>> --Dar
>>> skype
>>> dmgina23
>>> every saint has a past
>>> every sinner has a future
>>>
>>> Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network.  Visit
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